Shadow of the Deep
Shadow of the Deep is an Odyssey Event, and the fiftieth in the series. It is scheduled to start on July 14, 2016 at 8:00 PM (PST) and end on July 18, 2016 at 7:59 PM (PST). It is the eighth episode of the Dark Stigma story and fourth in the Aggrandom storyline. __TOC__ Feature Changes New Event UR (Gray Waves) One-Armed Gertrude is available before the start of the event in the Ascension Saga Card Pack. Odyssey Skill Cards * Great Captain Arrak (UR) Test of Strength Card. Gives 2x the Items regardless of Skill level. Gives 3x the Items when evolved with maxed out Skill. * One-Armed Gertrude (UR) Boosts the number of Event Items acquired by up to 1.2x regardless of Skill Level. ** (Rough Waters) One-Armed Gertrude (UR) 1.3x boost. ** (Galley) One-Armed Gertrude (UR) 1.4x boost. ** (Punished) One-Armed Gertrude (UR) 1.5x boost. ** (Beleaguered) One-Armed Gertrude (UR) 1.6x boost. ** (Taunted) One-Armed Gertrude (UR) 1.7x boost. ** (Offer Up) One-Armed Gertrude (UR) 1.8x boost. ** (Certainty) One-Armed Gertrude (UR) 1.9x boost. ** (Rehabilitation) One-Armed Gertrude (UR) 2.0x boost. ** (Hook Hand) Gertrude the Seafarer (UR EX) 4.0x boost. Story You, Elimval, and Salvador had traveled across the world in search for your lost memories. Staring in the Valley of K'wyen, you ventured to the floating island of Loftgygs, settled a dispute in the wastelands of Elgan, and searched the desert ruins of Digil. Each step brought you closer to your goal, but after leaving the city of Cadavus, you found your progress was blocked by the Ashen Sea. Passage was all but impossible due to the intermitten storms that raged throughout the year. The reason why the creatures below the raves were riled into anger was due to the actions of a young pirate named Juan. You would never forget how he helped you escape from the Lightholders on the other side of the Ashen Sea. Their pursuit had grown more intense by the day, but he agreed to hide you upon his ship. To your great fortune, his was the only vessel able to nagivate the turbulent waters, the Legend helmed by the peerless Captain Arrak. Although they were pirates, they had been asked by even the empire on a number of occasions to ferry people and goods through the treacherous waters. "These guys must be out of their minds to navigate this on a regular basis." The seasick Salvador complained of the conditions, but the true trial did not start until that night. Suddenly, the crew bound you in rope while you were asleep, and the captain yelled furiously at you. "Whaddye think yer doin', eatin' every last crumb in the galley, ye scurvy dogs?! I'd make ye walk the plank, but I'll give ye a sporting chance to live! Get in the dinghy!" You attempted to prove your innocence, but none of them paid any mind as you were forced aboard a small boat and lowered into the mercy of the stormy ocean. It was not just the three of you, but another young man. "This is a fine mess. Did you try to have us take the fall for your crime?" "Nope, I took the blame. I just said you were my friends, too." "...What?! You asking for me to shove you overboard, kid?!" Salvador grabbed him by the collar. "I'm no kid, I'm Juan. And don't be hasty; the best is yet to come." He made his declaration without a hint of guilt. True to his word, something strange began to happen, but you were not as confident as he was. Black shadows passed through the water below, and Elimval screamed with fright. "Wh-wh-wh-what are those?" "Hehehe, the monsters are coming, but the one I'm looking for is... right there! Norbleed, King of the Ashen Sea!" Juan was excited, but the small craft began to rock from the rising swells. From the gray water, a fearsome beast crested the surface, towering into the sky. "It's a shark! A-and it's headed for the Legend!" The four of you clung to the ship as you watched the gargantuan shark swallow the Legend whole, crew and all. Juan held an incomprehensible glimmer in his eyes. "I heard news of you guys. You seem pretty good with your weapons, so help me take down Norbleed! There might be a lot of monsters around here, but if we can live through this, we'll become legendary pirates!" And so you set out across through the dangerous waters... Epilogue Black vessels formed a barrier atop the turbulent swells of the Ashen Sea, slowly contracting around the ominous shadow resting below the water's surface. It was the great shark Norbleed, a monster none would dare contest in any other situation, but he had swallowed the Legendaire helmed by famous Captain Arrak, and so the pirates banded together to free him. "Norbleed might be 'King,' but his reign has only been a few years. He'll appear without warning and eat anything whole: people, treasure, ships..." The one speaking to you was Gertrude, captain of the Black Mist. Though she rarely passed into the interior of the Ashen Sea where the conditions were roughest, she was another skilled sailor. Amongst the other ships that had been lured by the prospect of danger, she was the only one who even regarded your plight at the mercy of the rough ocean and brought you aboard. Yet if her presence was reassuring, then Juan, who had been responsible for the ordeal, was anything but. You were grateful he had hidden you aboard the Legendaire and his plan to leave the ship by being forcefully ejected from it held a grain of cleverness, but his lack of further planning and overall inexperience nearly doomed all of you to a watery grave nevertheless. "They call this the Sea of Misery, for the sorrowful souls who perished in the endless storm beckon monsters..." As the ships drifted inward, her gaze focused outward, neither on the turbulent deep nor the gray skies above. "...Hey, Gertrude! I finished cleaning up the galley like you asked. The plates are so clean you can almost eat off them! Does that mean I can join your crew now?" "I thought I already said you weren't fit for my ship. If you have time to gab, you have time to work! Take care of the monsters on deck!" With a snappy "aye-aye," he drew his scimitar and headed into the fray. You found it hard to believe someone so naive had convinced the other pirate crews to stand against Norbleed. Meanwhile, Salvador was already fighting with the rest of Gertrude'S men. One of his arrows pierced the tentacle of a gruesome octopus, giving a horrifying gurgle as it tumbled over the rail. Their assault was fierce, but there were signs of relenting and each slain creature increased your pace towards the enormous shark. At last, he was within range, and the frigates turned their broadsides towards him... "Fire!" On Gertrude's signal, the ships' cannons roared, the red flashes of gunpowder reflecting off the clouds. They were ineffective in denting Norbleed's stony hide, but that did not discourage the sea dogs in the least. Grappling hooks were launched from the masts while particularly hardy souls boarded boats to fight him. Juan was naturally eager to join the action. "Haha! Now's my big chance!" "You aren't going anywhere, guppy. Watch the ship while I'm gone!" "What? But you're not supposed to leave the ship! You're the captain!" "There's nothing to worry about; I'll be back before you know it!" With astounding agility, Gertrude flew from the prow to the shark. You and Salvador were close behind, keen to repay your debt of gratitude. And so the greatest battle the Ashen Sea had ever seen unfolded. Swords and pistols chipped away at Norbleed, who thrashed about like an untamed horse. Yet no matter how many times the pirates were thrown into the ocean, the well-seasoned sailors emerged to fight again. The battle was not entirely cooperative, however. Rivals used the opportunity to settle personal grudges, further compounding to the chaos. Avoiding needless quarrels as best you could, you hunted Norbleed's weak point. It was after you had broken free of the tumult that you saw a strange woman standing alone, staring over the stormy sea. She was not wearing the attire of a pirate, but instead was waving around a glowing staff. At length, you realized it matched the movements of the Norbleed underneath your feet... or vice versa. Sneaking behind her, you seized her arms. Rather than struggle, she slowly turned her head to gaze at you with her pale, blank eyes. It was obvious she was not human, but likely not a Stigmal, for in a ghastly, hoarse voice, she moaned... "Accursed pirates... Return... my sister..." You were confused by her demand, but at that moment, Gertrude, who had noticed the two of you, ran up and gasped in surprise. "I-is that you... Miluge?" But rather than share in her joy, Miluge reacted with anger. "Return my sister! She who gave up her arm to give me freedom! Norbleed! Fill your belly with their rotten flesh!" "I'm here, Miluge! Don't you recognize me?!" As if rendered blind and deaf due to her hatred, Miluge ignored her kin and swung her staff wildly. Norbleed's flailing intensified in turn, causing waves to beget whirlpools to beget waves. Pirate ships sank one after the other. Everything would be lost if action were not taken, and so your determination overcame the hesitance in tearing apart the reunited sisters. Gripping the hilt tight, you raised your sword... ...... "My sister and I were abducted and sold to pirates as children. Young as we were, it was inevitable we'd make mistakes, and one day I started a small fire in the kitchen. They threw me in the hold as punishment and ran a chain from my wrist to hers through a hole in the ceiling. Said she was supposed to keep an eye on me or some nonsense. But then late at night, a drunk crew member came and started whipping her so she'd make him some food. He must've noticed the hole, because he dropped a knife through it and laughed as he told me to cut off my arm if I wanted to let my sister free. He didn't think I had the guts, but I did just that and she escaped by jumping overboard. I never saw her again, but the captain took a shine to me for my courage, gave me this hook, and made me a member of the crew. Of course, that drunkard got what was coming to him, too." Gertrude recanted her story as she watched the calmed waters. Norbleed, or any of the other monsters, could no longer be seen. He disappeared beneath the waves along with Miluge after you disposed of her. Neither was any sign of Captain Arrak found in the flotsam. "Up until the very end, she was thinking of me... Just as I was of her." She turned to look at you. "Thank you for having the courage to end her misery." Miluge died while harboring regret about leaving her sister in the clutches of the pirates, unaware of what had happened after her flight. That may have been what had given form to Norbleed, with Miluge the vengeful spirit that guided it... "Hey, Gertrude! Come over here! You gotta see this!" Juan's voice came from the stern of the ship. When you arrived, he was leaning over the rail, as if keen to leap into the ocean. "Check out all those treasure chests! They're probably all from the pirate ships Norbleed ate! We better grab them before someone else does!" Unable to restrain himself any longer, he flung himself into the blue and swam up to a large chest. However, before he could lift the lid, it burst open by itself. "Keep yer thievin' hands to yeself, sharkbait! Ye be touchin' the property of the mighty Captain Arrak!" ...... "Aye, so it's ye I have to thank, Gertrude. I s'ppose I forgive ye for that bloody stray cannonball through my port bow all those years ago. And ye have my deepest sympathies for yer sister." Arrak had hidden in a treasure chest to improve his chances of surviving within Norbleed. Now he stood before you, bold as ever yet exuding a strange mixture of anger and excitement. "The rest of my crew be in those other chests, so get to haulin' 'em up, sharkbait!" "What? Me? By myself?" "That's right, and ye got no right to complain! Yer lucky I don't keelhaul ye for destroyin' me beautiful Legendaire! Get to work and we'll think about keepin' ye in the brig for about a hundred years instead. Maybe by then you'll be a real pirate! Why do ye wanna become one so bad anyway?" Juan had been the catalyst for the entire incident, involved in everything from the summoning of Norbleed to convincing the other pirates to encircle him. Yet it was true you knew nothing of his motivation besides a commonplace lust for fame. "Oh, that's obvious! Don't you remember Gertrude saying how she'd marry anyone who could kill Norbleed?" "...Excuse me? I never said anything like that! I ought to plug you full of holes!" Gertrude's exasperated shout rang out across the clearing skies as she pulled out her pistol and chased Juan around the deck. "So whoever defeated that giant shark would marry Gertrude? But that means the Hero will...! No! That'd never happen!" Elimval's let spill her revulsion under her breath to be drowned in the cries of the seagulls overhead. Thus the shadow that stalked the Ashen Sea vanished once and for all. Although storms would eventually return, the source of the unending misery had been vanquished. However, complete calm would not settle in until the fight to claim "Norbleed's Treasure" between the remaining pirate crews had been decided. There was also the matter of Juan's fate, but somehow you could not muster the sympathy, particularly in light of more urgent concerns. Eager to resume your search for the truth, you requested the new ruler of the ocean, Gertrude, to ferry you to the far shore. Arrak, firmly grasping the helm, sailed through the gentle currents towards your destination... Chapters/Quests *Energy *Encountered every 25th Area after reaching Area 100. Rewards Final Ranking= |-|Lucky Ranking= |-|Guild Ranking= |-|Defeated Boss= |-|Victory Count= |-|Event Items= Category:Odyssey Events Category:Shadow of the Deep Category:Aggrandom